NYWIFT Blog

By Nicolette Page

Welcome to NYWIFT, Kelli Reilly!

Kelli Reilly is a producer, director, and writer working across narrative film and documentary, based between New York and Los Angeles, and the founder of Quartermaster Creative. She studied film and television at NYU Tisch with a focus in experimental cinema and got her start working on acclaimed documentaries, including Larger Than Life: The Kevyn Aucoin Story, The Vow, and Student Athlete.

Her recent producing work includes I Got You, SLICK, and The Daughter, and she is currently in post-production on the feature documentary Viva La Dita. She is also in production on the period feature The Florist and is a writer and contributor to the New York Times–recommended podcast Look Behind the Look.

In our interview, Kelli discussed how she shaped her artistry, her inspirations, and her upcoming work.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

Could you give our readers a brief introduction to yourself?

I’m a producer, director, and writer working in narrative and documentary film, based between New York and Los Angeles. I run Quartermaster Creative. I got my start in documentary and archival work and gradually moved into narrative projects.

These days, I’m focused on character-driven stories and period work, including a feature I’m currently producing, The Florist. I like films that have a strong point of view and pay attention to detail. My work usually lives somewhere between the strange and the intimate.

Why NYWIFT?

NYWIFT represents a community that values artistic ambition and professional sustainability. I’m drawn to its commitment to amplifying women’s voices across disciplines and as leaders shaping the industry. I deeply appreciate NYWIFT’s emphasis on mentorship, advocacy, and meaningful connection.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

What inspired you to launch Quartermaster Creative, and how has it helped you focus on films exploring identity and complex female experiences?

I wanted a home for the kind of work I couldn’t stop thinking about. Quartermaster Creative came from a desire to build a space where stories could be developed with care, patience, and intention, especially stories that live in emotional gray areas and focus on the inner lives of women and girls.

It’s also a place where I can bring all parts of my creative life together, producing, directing, writing, and designing, in service of the same vision. It’s given me the freedom to invest the time and care projects need, and to build them with collaborators who care as much about feeling and craft as I do.

What are the biggest challenges in producing films that balance historical accuracy with emotional storytelling?

I’m very detail-oriented, so this is actually a constant fight for me. You can make something that’s completely accurate and still not alive. The trick is knowing when the research is helping the story and when it’s getting in the way.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

How do you collaborate with designers, costume artists, and actors to bring a historical era to life on screen?

Even though the story is set in a real time period, we’re really building a world from our own point of view. I love bringing collaborators in early so we can shape it together — using research as a base while letting everyone’s instincts and ideas guide it. That’s when it stops feeling like a recreation and starts feeling like a real, lived-in place.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

What role do you believe filmmakers have in shaping cultural conversations around gender, identity, and representation?

I’ve always been more interested in people who don’t fit neatly into boxes. I don’t think stories need to convince anyone of anything. Our role is to shepherd these stories and be caretakers of each other — to make films that capture experiences people might otherwise think they’re alone in, and to widen the frame of whose stories get told, because representation is critical.

NYWIFT Member Kelli Reilly

What advice would you give emerging filmmakers who want to explore socially or culturally resonant stories?

Start with specificity. The more personal and precise your point of view, the more universal the work becomes. Do the research, but don’t hide behind it. Your interpretation and lived experience matter. And find collaborators who challenge you rather than simply agree with you. Resonant stories are mad with clarity, conviction, and care.

Learn more about Quartermaster Creative at  www.quartermastercreative.com and follow Kelli Reilly on Instagram at @kelrei.

(All photos courtesy of Kelli Reilly)